Thrust bearing



P 1929. F. H. MONTREUIL 1,728,434

- THRUST BEARING Filed Jan. 25, 1927 Patented Sept. 17, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRANK E. MONTBEUIL, DECEASED, DATE OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, BY STRAITS TRUST COMPANY, EXECUTOR, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- NEWS, '10 STRAUS NATIONAL BANK AND TRUST COMPANY Q1 CHICAGO, TRUS- ran, A coarona'rron 'rnausrr BEARING Application filed January 25, 1927. Serial No. 183,546.

In some classes of machinery thrust bearings are required which are submerged in a hot fluid and which are, therefore, impossible of lubrication in the ordinary way. For ex- 5 ample, such bearings are required in devices known, as condensation pumps and which employ a vertical shaft supported at the bot tom in .a thrust bearing, and in which the shaft revolves while the said bearing. is sub merged in hot water. Under these conditions, it is manifest that oil or grease. cannot be maintained upon the bearing.

The object of the invention is to provide a suitable thrust bearing adapted to be. em-

ployed in the presence of hot water or other fluid and so constructedthat oil and grease or other lubricant is eliminated, and in lieu thereof, the bearing comprises a socket in which the lower end of the shaft is stepped and centered and preferably provided with roll er orball bearings the said thrust bearin as a whole being lled with mercury to submerge the operative p'arts,the purpose matter, fluid or solid,.from finding its way to the operative parts of the bearing, it'being understood that the bearing parts which come in contact with the mercury are formed of iron or steel or other material with which by way of example; and Fig. 2 is a cross section of the bearing, taken on line 2'2 of Fig. 1.

' 3 represents a suitable compartment for receiving water of condensation and is provided at the bottom with a thrust hearing socket 4. 5 is a vertical shaft, the lower end of which'is stepped in the socket 4 and supported and centralized by ball bearin 6 ar- 6 ranged in the socket and for guiding the of said mercury being to prevent any foreign provided with the improved thrust bearing,

shaft. The shaft 5 ma be provided with a rotor 5 of any suita le construction and which, under centrifugal" action, may draw the water from the compartment 3 and discharge it through a pipe 7. The upper end of the shaft 5 may extend through a stuffing The water of condensation may be delivered to the reservoir 3 through an inlet 10. A suitable switch device 11 may be provided for stopping and starting the motor 9 and such starting means may be operated b a rod 12 provided at its lower part with a tll iatshifted to open the circuit and bring the motor to rest. 'So far asv these details of apparatus are concerned, they are only illustrative -box 8 and be driven by an electric motor 9.

. tact with the lower collar 14, the starter is F of the requirements of a high speed rotatable vertical shaft which requires suitable thrust bearings at the bottom.

it is manifest that the hot water of condensa- With the construction, as that described,

tion in the compartment 3 will enter the thrust bearing at the bottom and completely submerge it, and permit all grit and dirt to find itsway down into the bearing, and which,

in the absence of a lubricant such as oil or grease, will produce objectionable abrasion,

causing the bearing to rapidly wear out. In- I stead of permitting water to enter the said thrust bearing, as heretofore, the socket 4;

is filled with mercury 17 which completely submerges all of the workin parts of the. I thrustbearin and, because 0 its weight, it

expels from t e socket and operative arts of 4 the hearing all water and grit so t at thebearing proper is always clean and consequently requires no lubrication. As before pointed out, however, the bearing ortions must be of material that will not ave an afiinit for the mercury, and consequently, it is desirable to employ steel or iron for the lower or bearing end of the rotatable shaft and for the socket in which, it is centered, as well as the ballor roller bearings. The extreme lower end of the shaft may be centered in a bushing 4 formed of lignum vitae, if so desired, but ordinarily, a steel or iron bushing may be employed.

The extreme bottom of the socket portion 4 may be provided with a drain outlet 16 which may be closed by a valve or plug of any suitable construction and by which the mercury may be drained out and replaced with fresh mercury from time to time.

' The essential feature'of the improvement resides in the use of-a heavy metal fluid at normal temperatures, completely submerging the operative metal parts of the thrust bearing and displacing all materials of a lighter nature and raising them above the level of the operative parts of the thrust bearing.

It will now beapparent that there has been devised a novel and useful construction of thrust bearing which embodies the features of advantages enumerated as desirable, and

- that while in the present instance is shown and described the invention as applied to an apparatus in which the improvement is useful, it is to be understood that it is not to be restricted as to the detailsof the thrust bearing itself as the same are susceptible of modification in various particulars and which, when employed with the mercury element, are within the spirit or scope of the invention.

Having now described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination of a compartment adapted to hold water with a socket below the level of the water, a vertically rotatable shaft extending down through the water within the compartment and having its lower end j ournaled in the socket, and mercury filling the space within the socket for submerging the operative bearing portions of the socket and shaft whereby all water, grit and other matters are displaced from contact with the bearings.

2. The invention according to claim 1, wherein further, the socket portion is provided at its upper edge with an annular floor inclining downward toward the space within the socket, whereby any mercury which might be thrown out of the socket will automatically return thereto by gravity.

In testimony of which invention, Straus Trust Company, executor of FRANK H. MON- TREUIL, deceased, has hereunto caused its game to be aifixed by its duly'authorized ofcer.

STRAUS TRUST COMPANY, By ARTHUR w. STRAUS, Treasurer, Ewecutor of Frank H. Montreuil, Deceased. 

